Owner to begin interior demolition at 66 Norton St. in New Haven

Norton Towers Apartments, at 66 Norton St. in New Haven, was condemned and evacuated in February.

Norton Towers Apartments, at 66 Norton St. in New Haven, was condemned and evacuated in February.

Photo: Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media File

Photo: Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media File

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Norton Towers Apartments, at 66 Norton St. in New Haven, was condemned and evacuated in February.

Norton Towers Apartments, at 66 Norton St. in New Haven, was condemned and evacuated in February.

Photo: Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media File

Owner to begin interior demolition at 66 Norton St. in New Haven

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NEW HAVEN — Four months after the tenants were hustled, within hours, out of their apartments at 66 Norton St., the owner is ready to begin interior demolition to determine the extent of the structural problems there.

Building Official James Turcio said permits were pulled this week for more than $100,000 worth of demolition work at the 100-year-old building in the West River neighborhood.

Turcio said the owner, Ernest Schemitsch of Brooklyn, N.Y., has hired a firm to gut the plumbing on all five floors. The ceiling in the basement also will be removed as part of the structural exploration.

The building official said the floors will be shored up as needed, with his approval.

A preliminary review by structural engineer Nic Cuoco in March said it appeared that the building was being held up by the plumbing stacks.

“The structural damage went from the basement to the fifth floor,” Turcio said in Febuary after reading Cuoco’s report.

A total of 37 families had to move out, and while some stayed with friends, the majority were relocated to hotels and given food vouchers as there were no cooking facilities in the hotels. The owner also arranged for moving trucks for the tenants.

To do a proper evaluation, Mendy Katz, who was the property manager there at the time of the evacuation, said they would have to get into the walls.

Preferred Enterprises LLC of Westbook has been hired to do the work, as well as Rinaldi Engineering.

Turcio also ordered testing for asbestos. The samples that were taken did not show any asbestos, according to Mystic Air Quality Consultants Inc. of Groton, but it only surveyed accessible areas.

If asbestos is found elsewhere, an EPA/OSHA certified person would be needed to remove it following state and federal rules.